Point of information - I have been reliably informed, but have not seen the x-ray data to prove it, that a .22 round hit inside the body cavity tends to ounce around and tear up a lot of tissue. Thus, the fact that .22s are deadly just for that reason alone. And the LEO/firearms expert who taught me these things a long time ago said that more people were killed with .22s each year than anything else. I don't know where the data is to prove that but he insisted it was true.
What I do know is that having a gun in capable hands is far more important than caliber. If you choose to carry a gun then you also have to choose to be reasonably adept at its use and be willing to use it.
Nobody likes to be shot so if you can cause an aggressor to cease and desist when he sees your weapon you've accomplished your task, a no-shot-stop.
Statistics are sometimes hard to come by. A gentlemen named Greg Ellifritz spent a considerable amount of time compiling some of these types of numbers and he published his data on line in 2011. Mr. Ellifritz is a police officer and instructor himself. His conclusion is:
Folks, carry what you want. Caliber really isn't all that important.
An Alternate Look at Handgun Stopping Power | Buckeye Firearms Association
(c) 2011 Greg Ellifritz and Buckeye Firearms Association
I carried a Beretta 950BS (aka Jetfire) for 20 years. The one thing I liked least about it was not caliber; it was being single action. It could be carried cocked and locked but I personally dislike that carry, especially in my pocket, so I routinely practiced drawing it out of various pockets and getting that hammer back. I also have an NAA 5 shot vest pocket revolver and that one is even harder to cock the hammer - so it was with great delight that I acquired a S&W M642, just as easy to carry, bigger caliber, fine, more importantly it's double action. Any gun is better than no gun, but any gun you can get into action fast and shoot well is the key to a successful defensive situation. So, .22 LR, .22 WMR, .25 ACP, it's not that big a deal in the overall scope of the data.
As for this:
As neat as the Baby Browning and Colt 1908 Vest Pocket are, the Tomcat, Seecamp and LCP have rendered them and the 25 ACP obsolete.
I disagree. Those tiny guns might be obsolete for various reasons but, then again, a tiny package like that, a disappearing gun in the 21st century of mostly casual clothes and concealed carry, Precision Small Arms still makes them and they're gorgeous, not cheap, and have a definite place in the arsenal of concealed carry.
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